A six-figure renovation of the former Apple Photo space appears to be going ahead, as Islands Trust officials formally announced Wednesday, Sept. 11 they had secured a “multi-year” lease for the relocation of their Salt Spring Island office.
By this time next month, the Islands Trust’s office on Lower Ganges Road will have closed its doors, as office staff move to the new location in Ganges at 121 McPhillips Ave. Trust staff in March had planned a budget of $210,000 to cover the change, with $185,000 set aside for “design and renovation” and the remainder — apart from a $10,000 contingency — covering moving, storage, cleaning out the old office, adding kitchen appliances and replacing old furniture.
Terms of the new lease were not announced, although a February report to the Trust’s Financial Planning Committee had estimated annual lease costs of a then-unspecified downtown office space of $65,000.
The former Salt Spring Island office space was leased from BC Hydro, who last summer notified the Islands Trust they would be exercising their option not to renew that contract, planning at the time to end the agreement on July 24. That move-out date has been extended to Oct. 18, after which officials said there will temporarily be no public-facing staff available — at least in an in-person, on-island setting.
According to a press release, staff still plan to respond to phone calls and answer emails during regular weekday business hours, office closure notwithstanding. No date has been set for services to re-open in the new location.